


Where It All Started

by imastrangeone98



Series: Leon and Sarah's Wonderful Journey of Life (and Viruses) [1]
Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Game: Resident Evil 2, Gen, Mostly Canon Compliant, Tumblr archiving, reposting... again, some unrealized feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:07:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25498831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imastrangeone98/pseuds/imastrangeone98
Summary: Leon and Sarah have always been friends. They played together, grew up together, went to school together. Now, they're about to add one more thing to the list.Survive together.(A series of connected one-shots.)
Relationships: Leon S. Kennedy/Original Character(s), Leon S. Kennedy/Reader
Series: Leon and Sarah's Wonderful Journey of Life (and Viruses) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1847203
Kudos: 7





	1. Road Trip

**Author's Note:**

> ok so here's the deal- I realized too late that I wanted everything to be multi chapter, so I deleted EVERYTHING RE related on this site... like an idiot. no one reads this, but I am still very sorry XD
> 
> in exchange, I'm changing up the next chapter so it's not the jail scene with ben

"ROAD TRIP!" Sarah Kim yelled directly into Leon Scott Kennedy's ear, who flinched before guffawing.

"Excited, are we?" Mrs. Kennedy laughed as she watched them load their bags on the back of his car.

"Well, yeah! It's the first time we've seen each other since I went to university!" the young woman replied, ruffling her friend's hair. "You promised you'd write me!"

"I did!" he retorted, slamming the trunk of his car. "You just never check your emails!"

"I do check my check my emails!"

He laughed, but it died off when his father approached him.

Mr. Kennedy patted his shoulder. "I... I'm proud of you, son. I can't wait to hear about the great things you'll do at Raccoon." He nodded at the gun holster at Leon's hip. "Taking good care of Matilda?"

"Yeah." He patted said gun and looked at his father. "Thanks, Dad."

Mrs. Kennedy, on the other hand, was giving Sarah a tight hug. "Oh, I'm so proud of you! Honestly, when your mother called me about it, I nearly woke up the neighborhood!"

"Yeah," Sarah said, rubbing the back of her neck. "Recommendations from William and Annette Birkin themselves. Who would've thought?"

"Oh, I always knew you had it in you, sweetheart!" Mrs. Kennedy patted her shoulder, and gave her a warm smile. "You must be so excited! Umbrella is an incredible corporation! You'll be changing the world!"

"Yes... With hair tonics and burn creams," she joked as she fiddled with the strap on her backpack.

"Sarah, come on!" Leon checked his watch. 12:32 PM. "If we go now, we might be able to get to Raccoon by tonight."

"We _are_ taking our food breaks, into account, right?" She nudged his shoulder as the two managed to say their goodbyes to his family and enter the car. "Or are we seriously eating in here? Do you even _remember_ what happened last time?"

He laughed. "That was, like, three years ago!"

"You spilled five cartons of salsa in here. Five! That was _all_ of the salsa!" She recounted the tale like it was yesterday.

"In my defense," he retorted, waving goodby to his parents as they began to drive off, "you were the one trying to eat all the carne asada fries when I _specifically_ told you to wait!"

They chuckled. A comfortable silence soon fell between them as Leon pulled onto the interstate. Sarah watched him as he drove.

He had grown taller the last time she'd seen him two years ago. His golden hair had turned a bit darker, another physical symbol of his drastic change. He had put on muscle, more than she remembered- no doubt from his police academy training. But she was grateful for one thing: he was still as solid and dependable as a mountain, with a personality to match. Her true polar opposite, for which she was more than grateful.

Some strands of hair brushed his cheeks. She fought the strange urge to brush them away.

"Y'know..." Leon suddenly said, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. "I'm really glad to see you again. Even though it feels like we haven't missed a day... I missed you."

She stared at him, briefly at a loss for words. Her best friend wasn't one for speeches, last time she recalled. But she couldn't deny the growing warmth in her chest.

"Yeah." She reached out a hand and rested it on his shoulder, doing her best to meet his eyes without distracting him from the road. "I really missed you too."

He smiled, scratching his nose. His telltale sign of nervousness. But what was there to be nervous about?

"Besides," she said, hoping to ease whatever tension he was feeling, "you wouldn't believe how many idiots there are in Stanford. All talk, no action."

He rolled his eyes. "Seriously, I still wonder how you even survived in there."

"Desperation. Social pressure. Family expectations. The usual. Or..." She held up a finger for dramatic effect. "I could be wrong here... But maybe a small part of me actually wanted to prove myself-"

"To the dumb white people," he finished with a grin. "I bet you did something awesome and unexpected in the lab and they just stared like fish."

"They did! Oh my God, dude, you should've seen it! I made a hypothesis about combining lithium acetate- stuff that helps us analyze DNA- with guanine crystals, which is what helps chameleons change color, and-"

And she rambled on and on about her experiment, not even caring whether or not he was paying attention.

But he was. As Leon drove, he hung onto her every word.

[...]

After a quick stop at a small diner for lunch (he teased her for stealing all his French fries, and retaliated by taking sips of her milkshake), they switched back and forth behind the wheel, pushing on towards their mutual destination: Raccoon City.

It was 8:52 PM. Only a few more miles to go.

In the harsh light of the gas station, Leon sipped on his coffee and watched her sleep.

On a casual glance, she hadn't changed much. Her black hair was still the same messy tangle on her head. Her body was still the same soft curves he was used to, buried underneath the heavy jacket he lent her. She was still the same adrenaline junkie with a penchant for danger- the fire to his water. He was more than thankful for it.

But he could see the dark circles that ran under her eyes. When she wasn't driving or regaling him with stories of biochemistry and insane roommates, she slept. His heart sunk. His intelligent, fun-loving best friend was slowly being reduced to a half-conscious robot. He hated it.

He watched her chest rise and fall. Her eyelids fluttered on occasion. Small locks of hair floated by her mouth with each breath.

He leaned over to brush them away, and his fingers skimmed to soft skin of her cheek.

...He wanted to kiss her.

For a moment, he was tempted. His lips felt like they were burning.

...But in the end, he leaned away, settling for running his thumb over her cheekbones.

"Sleep tight," he whispered as he started the car. "We'll be there soon."

She let out a sleepy groan in response.

The car pulled onto the exit lane and made its way toward the city, the two passengers completely unaware of the life-changing horrors that awaited them there.


	2. The Gun Shop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as promised- becuz I knowingly screwed up, I won't be reposting the same chapter I did before. It is no longer ben and the jail cell- it's kendo and his daughter
> 
> Warning: some light angst. non major character death. you know what happens here

_"Nothing dies down here!"_

Ada's words still bounced around Sarah's mind. She thought back to Marvin, and the reporter, and all of the undead civilians they had encountered. 

_Nothing dies down here._

Leon noticed her, and he tugged on her arm. "Hey. You okay?"

"Yeah," she lied, with a shake of her head. "I'm fine. Just... thinking."

He frowned. He didn't believe her.

The doors to the gun shop swung open. "What a mess," the agent clicked her tongue as the three walked in. 

"No shit," he muttered under his breath, checking some boxes of ammo on the shelves. 

Sarah moved towards the back, keeping an eye out for any supplies. But as she mechanically stuffed gunpowder and herbs into her backpack, she thought about everything. What people were doing. What people have lost.

The cold barrel of a gun brushed her shoulder.

"Don't move."

She slowly raised her hands. "Alright. I'm not moving."

Leon's voice called out, "Sarah? What's wrong?"

"I said don't move!" the man shouted at him, and he lifted the gun higher at her face. 

"Please don't shoot me," she whispered, barely audible. 

"Not if any of you give me a reason to." 

"Sir," her friend said softly. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him slowly approaching them, hands raised. "We're just passing through. I'm going to ask you to lower your weapon."

"Like hell you are," the man hissed. Gesturing with his gun, he continued, "You're gonna turn around, and go right back out the way you came in."

And then Sarah noticed the girl. 

Small. Short black hair matted by the rain. A horrible wheeze coming from her throat. Milk-white eyes. 

She was infected.

"I can take a look at your daughter, sir," she said quietly. "I think she needs help."

"Don't tell me how to deal with my daughter," was all he said. But his voice cracked at the edges. 

It was the voice of someone who knew he had lost.

"Drop it!" Ada's voice rang out; she had a gun aimed right at the shop owner's head. He quickly turned to aim at her, and Leon took the opportunity to grab his friend by the shoulder and pull her behind him. 

Ada then took aim at the child. Sarah rushed to stop her.

"No, wait!" the man begged, stepping in front of his daughter. 

"Step aside." Her voice was mechanical- it sent chills running down the scientist's spine. "We need to terminate her before she turns."

"Terminate?" Bile rose in Sarah's throat. "That's a kid!"

"That's my fucking daughter!" he spat through gritted teeth. Water ran down his face. "Emma..." His voice turned soft, but the hard glint in his eyes was still unmistakeable. "Sweetheart, I told you to stay put."

"...Daddy...?"

Her heart crumbled. 

The shop owner quickly rushed to his child, wrapping her in his arms. "Yeah, Emmie. Daddy's here. I'm here."

Swallowing a heavy breath, she approached the tiny, broken family. "Sir, are you sure you don't want me to..."

Her voice died when he spoke. "Those fuckin' things outside... Look what they did to us." His eyes were filled with tears. "You're a scientist, right? You're supposed to know how to stop these things from happening! Right?! And you!" He glared at Leon. "You're a cop! You're supposed to know something- how did this happen?! _Huh?!_ "

He swallowed. "...We don't know, sir. We only learned about this just today."

" _That's not an excuse!_ "

"Yes, sir." 

Sarah looked away. The child's milky eyes were too much. 

"...Mommy...?" she asked, eyes still locked on her face. 

The man sighed. A heavy, knowing sigh. "Mommy's sleeping, honey. Okay?" He gripped his daughter by her thin shoulders; his bottom lip trembled. "And I'm gonna put you to bed too, okay? ...Emma?" 

A horrible feeling welled up in her chest. Were they going to... Was he going to...?

Delicately cradling his child in his arms, he walked over to the open doorway. Realization dawned on her, and she rushed to try and stop them. "Sir, stop-!"

"Just go!" he sobbed, shoving her square in the chest, hard enough to knock air out of her lungs. "Just give us some privacy!" And the door slammed shut behind them.

"Shit." She threw herself at the metal, hoping it would give way. Leon quickly joined her, pounding at the door with his shoulder. "Come on-!"

**BAM!**

The two stared in shock. 

She threw up. 

More people she had failed. More people who lost. 

"Sarah." His voice was soft and teary. "Get up."

She couldn't. Her stomach kept heaving. Her legs felt like jelly. The world kept spinning around her eyelids. 

"Get up," Ada snapped. "We don't have time for your sentiment."

"Shut the fuck up!" he snapped. "Like we should care about anything you have to say! You haven't told us the truth, and even worse, you haven't told him! Don't you think he, at least, deserved something?!"

"He blew his own brains out..." Sarah whispered. "Because of... because of..."

He let out a soft sigh and pulled her tight to his chest. "Hey. It's not your fault. It's not your fault." 

"It feels like it is."

"It isn't."

From behind them, Ada watched as Sarah continued to heave her guts out. And she sucked in a deep breath. "My mission is to take out Umbrella's entire operation."

She froze. "Umbrella? Umbrella's behind all of this...?"

_Sarah read the acceptance letter over and over. A personal, hand signed letter of recognition and promotion from William and Annette Birkin, asking her to be their personal lab assistant. She nearly screamed at the top of her lungs from joy._

A scream of horror itched in the back of her throat. But it wouldn't come out. 

"...Shit," he muttered. "If they're the ones masterminding this thing, then we have to stop it."

"We may not make it out," the agent commented.

"Doesn't matter." She wiped off the remaining puke on her sleeve and stood up on shaking knees. Her eyes stayed on the closed door. "If they think it's fun to play with human lives like this... Then they're gonna pay."

Leon stood up. "Whatever it takes to save this city, count us in."

With a firm nod, she turned away.

And they followed her, the faint smell of blood still wafting up Sarah's nose.


	3. The Real Monster

Sarah was getting tired of this goddamn monster. 

It followed them everywhere, like some kind of insane stalker. It roared and stomped towards them on the narrow bridge in the NEST lab.

Leon swore, pushed his friend behind him, and aimed his gun. "You again."

"Move!" a voice called out from behind. They turned around to see a blond woman running past them. "He's mine!"

She fired something at the monster; it burst out some strange clear liquid- acid. She recognized the smell.

"What the hell's going on?" he asked the woman.

"I'm sorry, William," the lady continued to say, seeming to have not heard him. "You left me no choice."

_That hair... Those eyes... That voice..._

"Mrs. Birkin?" Sarah asked. For some reason, her voice trembled. "I don't understand. That thing is... Mr. Birkin?"

When Dr. Annette Birkin looked at her would-have-been pupil, her blue eyes were glassy. "It wasn't supposed to be like this... This is all Umbrella's fault! I..."

"But you're Umbrella," Leon retorted. "Are you really trying to say that you weren't involved in this?"

"No, I was." She hissed, gripping at her side. "But we never meant for this to happen!"

Sarah's hands shook. "Tell us what happened. I need to know. Please."

And she did. She told them what she knew. About how William Birkin was slowly driven insane by his own paranoia, about how- in his pain-muddled brain- he injected himself with his own creation in a last-ditch effort to keep it out of any other hands but his own.

And the horrible feeling in Sarah's chest only continued to grow.

It had started the moment the mysterious Ada Wong walked into the parking garage, talking about some strange investigation into Umbrella, ~~which she was probably lying about~~. Then it was the horrific double suicide of Kendo and his daughter; she could still smell blood in the air.

And now, this. The two people who had personally sponsored and encouraged her education and career were actually the monsters that ruined thousands upon thousands of lives.

She wanted to scream. But of course, something else beat her to it.

A loud roar shook the walls and catwalk. The monster, of course, wasn't dead.

"Sarah!" His voice cut through her thoughts. "Get behind me!"

A high-pitched wail escaped the broken scientist, which was quickly cut short when the monster threw her into the wall.

"Dr. Birkin!"

"Help her!" he called out, firing bullets at the monster's bulging eyes. "I'll deal with this fucker!"

"We can't... let him get away...!" the scientist wheezed, staggering to her feet and pressing a button, sending the platform Leon and the monster were on below.

"What are you doing?!" Sarah quickly made for the descending catwalk where her friend was rapidly arming himself with grenades, and held out her hand. "Leon! Hurry, jump!"

" _Breach detected,_ " a robotic voice announced in a peaceful tone. " _Lab quarantined until target is neutralized._ "

"Don't worry!" He smiled at her, giving her a thumbs up. "I can do this!"

Fear bubbled up inside her, but she swallowed it down and grinned in return. "Yeah. You can."

[...]

It took a while. Sarah did her best in the meantime to tend to Dr. Birkin's wounds, to no avail. But finally, the screaming below them stopped, and light footsteps bounded toward them.

"Leon!" she gasped, rushing to him and throwing her arms around her friend. Almost instantly, she noticed him wince. "You're hurt..."

"I'm fine. Looks worse than it feels, trust me." He carefully gripped her shoulders, doing his best to avoid the bullet wound in one of them, and checked her for injuries. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. But..." She turned back to the wheezing scientist, and that spoke more than words.

"Jesus..." he murmured, the two of them kneeling beside her. "That really looks bad."

"Feels worse, believe me." Her hands were stained with blood from holding her wound.

"Do you think you can move? Maybe we can carry you-"

"No," she croaked. "I'm at my limit. Just..." She squeezed Sarah's hand tightly. "Just tell me you'll destroy that G sample."

"I..." Sarah was at a loss for words. "I thought it'd be evidence for the FBI."

"No!" Annette's grip on her would-be student's hand was painful. "Don't give it to her! You can't trust her!"

Leon scowled. "Let me guess; she's not FBI after all."

"No," the scientist confirmed. "She's a mercenary. The G-virus is gonna go to the highest bidder-!"

"I..." Sarah trembled, wrapping her arms around herself. "That can't be true...?"

"I hope you're right..." She hacked out a bloody cough. "But if the G-virus gets into the wrong hands..." Her voice slowly died off; she collapsed on the floor.

"So Ada... She was..."

"Sarah," he whispered, gently sliding an arm around her shoulder. "Badges are easy to forge. She was lying to us the entire time."

"I know, but... It doesn't make it any easier to hear." She cradled her head in her hands, struggling to ease away the building pressure in her skull. "And not just her. Umbrella was behind everything this whole time. And to think..."

And for the first time since the arrived in that hellhole, Sarah openly sobbed. Leon shushed her, sweeping her into a comforting embrace.

"And to think... that I would've been a part of this!" she cried, tears soaking his shoulder pads. "I- I would've been a monster!"

"But you're not," he reassured her, running a hand through her tangled hair. "You could never be a monster to me. And besides, you didn't know this was happening. No one did."

"It was William and Annette Birkin that recommended me," she recalled, futilely attempting to wipe away her tears. "No doubt they would've brought me onto their little pet project!"

"But it didn't happen." Slowly, he pulled away so he could look her in the eye. He rubbed at her cheeks, catching any stray tears. "We can't change the past. But we can change what's happening now. So no more 'what ifs,' okay? You didn't end up on this, so it's not on you. It'll never be on you. I could never blame you for this, so don't blame yourself either."

" _Attention: self-destruct sequence initiated._ " The voice had returned, and naturally, it brought bad news with it. " _Use the central elevator to evacuate immediately to the bottom-level train platform._ "

Leon swore under his breath, then gripped her arms tightly and hoisted her up. "Alright. We gotta get out of here. You gonna be okay?"

Sarah spared a few seconds to look at Dr. Birkin's body. The virus sample felt heavy in her pocket.

She would destroy it. She needed to. She refused to be a monster like they were, like Ada turned out to be.

"I'll get rid of the sample," she promised to the body. "I swear it." And she turned to her friend. "Let's go."

She would be better.


	4. Escape

There she was. Her red dress was practically a lighthouse within the frantic chaos of the lab. 

"Be careful," Leon whispered into his partner's ear. "She's dangerous."

"I know," Sarah replied. They walked up to the mercenary. "Ada. I was just thinking about you."

She sighed in relief(?). "Well, that makes two of us. I was getting worried."

The scientist fidgeted. The virus sample felt heavy in her pocket. "We ran into Annette. And she mentioned something... interesting."

"Well, whatever it is, we can talk about it on the train," the woman said hurriedly. "Please tell me you got it."

"We have it."

"Good. Let me just verify it and we can all get the hell out of here."

"Wong." Leon stepped from behind her, hand on his gun. "Drop the bullshit. We know you're not FBI. Tell us what' you're gonna do with the G-virus."

Ada sighed. For a quick second, Sarah wondered if she would fight them about her innocence. A part of he was still hoping that she was on their side.

"Why couldn't you just hand over the sample?" When she whipped out her gun and aimed at her, Sarah couldn't bring herself to be surprised. Of course Ada wasn't on their side. She wasn't on anyone's side.

Leon immediately pulled out his own weapon, and aimed at her head. "Drop the gun, Wong."

The mercenary sighed. "I really hoped it wouldn't end up like this, Sarah."

"Neither did I," she admitted. "Yet here we are. And it still doesn't change the fact that you were using us."

"I'm just doing my job."

"I'm not interested in your excuses," the officer huffed. "Now drop the gun; we're taking you in."

Ada rolled her eyes, then turned to the scientist. "Hand over the sample, Sarah." Then, in a quieter voice, said, "I don't want to hurt you."

"Drop the fucking gun, now!" he yelled. The finger on the trigger tightened.

"How about you drop yours?" she retaliated, her icy tone returning.

Sarah looked back and forth between them. The sample shifted against her leg. No matter what, she couldn't let it fall into the mercenary's hands... but she refused to see her best friend dirty himself further over it.

And if she could help it, no one was dying anymore. No one... except her.

Grabbing the vial, she held it tightly in her hand and stepped towards the edge.

Leon noticed her first. "Sarah, what are you doing?" He sounded nervous. 

"If you're gonna shoot anyone, Ada, shoot me." One foot dangled off the edge of the walkway. "But I hope you know what you're in for."

"Sarah, get away from there!" He dropped his gun, slowly approaching her, arms outstretched. "Just step away from the ledge, okay?"

Ada stared at her, eyes cloudy with... something. Hr mouth opened and closed, over and over, until ti was pressed into a tight line.

"Sarah, please! Don't jump!" He sounded on the verge of tears.

The women's eyes were still locked together. Sarah's narrowed in challenge, sending a silent message to the other.

_Do your worst._

The ticking time bone behind them was all too real. There was not time to waste. Her hands felt clammy around the vial. She began to lean back-

With a sigh, Ada Wong lowered her gun.

Relief swept over her. She nearly fell, had it not been for Leon, who dashed to he side and pulled her into his arms. His cheek pressed against hers as he rocked her back and forth, begging her to not do that again, _don't you ever do that again, don't leave me here alone-_

BANG!

Ada jolted backward, blood spilling from her shoulder. The duo turned around to see Annette Birkin, a smoking gun in her hands, wheezing and leaning heavily on the sliding door.

To make the situation worse, the bridge beneath them began to shake, throwing the three standing on it to their knees. She began to slide off, her fingers gripping tightly at the rails. Sarah crawled over to her, grasping at her hands.

"Hold on!" she cried out. "Hang in there!"

She didn't notice the G-virus vial slipping out of her pocket, rapidly tumbling down into the abyss.

"Sarah..." Ada whispered, gazing up at her. "Forget it."

"Don't you dare say that," she hissed. "I think I can- Shit!" The bandages around her shoulder began to turn red; she reopened her wound, like an idiot.

Behind her, he leaned down, reaching out to the mercenary. "Grab on!"

"It's not worth it," she replied. "Everyone's gonna die at this point."

"Well, I'm not leaving her! And she's not leaving you! So now I'm stuck, and you might as well grab on!"

She didn't. Instead, she turned to his partner. "Take care of yourself."

"What-?"

Faster than either of them could react, she wrenched her hand from the scientist's grip, falling down into the smoky darkness until the bright red of her dress dissipated into nothing.

Sarah stared at her hand. Another person dead. Another person's blood on her hands.

" _Ten minutes until detonation._ "

"Sarah..." His hands rubbed her arms, slowly bringing her back to him. "We should go."

"I keep getting people killed. Why is that?" She turned to him, her brown eyes soft with tears. "Everyone keeps dying."

"It's not your fault," he replied, nudging her to her feet. "She made her choice; that's not on you."

" _Nine minutes until detonation._ "

She swore under her breath. "I can have an emotional breakdown later. We need to get out of here."

She could feel his eyes on her, watching her carefully. His mouth opened for a second, clearly wanting to say something.

But he kept it shut.

"Let's get going." She sighed, and the two of them entered the elevator. "I have a feeling that it's not over. Not by a long shot."

"Knowing our luck," he continued, "that's more likely than we think."

Neither of them knew that far below them, Ada Wong was studying a rocket launcher, G-virus sample in hand.


End file.
